Jeff.

Pre 1936 numerous competitions were held under the guise of "World Championship". Didn't Jack Parker win the Paris one. The annual Star Riders Final was probably the nearest thing to a World Final at the time

No. Tokyo Melody would signal the start of the meeting and the track staff marched out to blazeway

Ullevi very rarely drew crowds into the 30,000s never mind 50,000, one world final there in the sixties attracted only 22,000. Even Wembley, aside from the first few post war finals and the golden jubilee final in 1978 never drew capacity crowds, the much talked about 92,000 in 1981 was a fallacy, the real crowd was in fact only in the 70,000s. Wembley even had a world final crowd of only 55,000 one year. Of course Polish world finals did attract massive crowds, I believe 133,000 watched the 1973 final in Katowice, and well over 100,00 in 1976 & 1979. Ownership of the rights to the GPs was available to anyone, why didn't the british authorities grasp the opportunity and buy them, instead of sitting, nero fashion, doing nothing while the flagship individual competion fell into disrepair

I am not sure whether he meant viable or not, but it is best not to litter your own post with errors, particularly when trying to make someone look stupid. It has a habit of backfiring

6 of the last 12 finals were in inadequate venues, Norden, Pocking, Bradford & Vojens, are you suggesting this running into the ground took 12 years

Pre BSI, (pre GP system) world finals were held in fields (Norden, Pocking) with a few edited highlights shown a week later. The GP system was the catalyst to SKY TVs coverage of the Elite League, and the 3 hour Saturday Night GP programme gave each club prime time advertising FOC. It is not the fault of BSI that the british promoters chose to fight the GP system, King Canute style, rather than grow their product on the back of it.

I quite often get to hear a load of bullrubbish as well. I generally disregard it and don't post it all over a speedway forum

The old World Finals were no better, somewhat worse actually. In 1976 when PC won were it not for a bonus payment from the BSPA to the Brits, and we managed 5 that year, then he would have finished well out of pocket on the meetin, and he won!!!. Coupled with qualifiers all over the globe particpating in the World Championship was an expensive exercise. The winners purse stayed at £500.00 until the eighties if I recall. Still I am sure BSI/IMG can be blamed for that

If he thought Bjarne Pedersen to blame why was he allowing the race to continue. He only stopped it when Nicki Pedersen failed to get up

You have just made Belle Vue £16.00 they wouldn't have had between now and the end of the season, hope I can meet you there

Now that bit is against forum rules, but more importantly it is against my rules, dont do it again

Apologise for what exactly? I don't need to watch the video, I was in the stadium and saw the races live, quite enjoyed them too, however that doesn't alter my opinion that Cardiff isn't the place for such demonstations. Moving aside from these boys, the whole junior culture in this country is wrong, there are kids riding round after meetings with their names all over their vans, kids in conference league and below with websites, and being honest 90% of them will never make speedway riders as long as they live, they just like the image of being a so called speedway rider. In the old days someone like Dent Oliver would be honest with the kids and tell them they are wasting their time, nowadays we are in the age of the "professional junior", kids going round the circuit for years with no hope of making the grade. Simply being 15 and owning a speedway bike is hardly justification for an appearance at Cardiff.

I was in the stadium and yes I watched the youngsters, and I stand by what I said earlier, Cardiff isn't some sort of training school and with respect to those kids, some of who looked fairly useful, they shouldn't be there. No West End Theatre starts their big production with the local primary schools version of the nativity, why should British Speedways blue riband do the equivalent. And yes Belinda Carlisle was a joke, could have just played a cd

Ah the old urban myth again, the thirty yard marker had no meaning other than the point to which a rider could receive outside assistance, it had nothing to do with keeping a straight line

Oh right so having made the final where do you suggest Nicki Pedersen finished. Maybe move all the other competitors up two places and put Pedersen and Nicholls 15th and 16th, perhaps expunge their scores from the record altogether. Or quite simply Pedersen stood third on the rostrum because he finished third. There were 4 positions available in that final, 1st to 4th, you with me so far!, now he cant be 1st because he didnt win, he couldnt be second because he wasnt second, he couldnt be 4th because the already excluded Nicholls occupied that spot, he couldnt be 5th to 16th as those positions were already taken, so just where in your cuckoo land do you think Pedersen finished

Remember reading something similar a year or two back, George Piper etc. where are they now. Cardiff isn't a glorified training school

Nonsense, they are not riding for the crowds benefit, personnally I see no benefit watching wobblers on the same stage as the British GP, the blue riband event in the speedway year, I think it slightly devalues. I could go along to training schools or conference league to watch rhese guys.

The night PC "broke down en route" to Newport. It was 1976 and the night after Tommy Jansson was killed. He isn't the only one to have ducked meetings at Newport though, Malcolm Simmons also refused to ride there once

Rob there is nothing to judge, it isn't a matter of opinion, it is simply understanding racing. You do, I do, Tony Steele does, BWitcher along with many others doesn't

It would be pointless engaging in a debate with you, I have explained what happened but you refuse to accept it

Most fans have not got a clue Rob. Quite simply Gollob, believing the attack was coming down the insibe made an earlier than normal turn to stop AJs run. Nothing wrong with that but in this case AJ was going to move wide and simply ran over Gollob's back wheel. No misjudgment from AJ, just unfortunate but he has to be judged the cause of the stoppage

No Elite League racing hasn't done Nicki Pedersen, Tomasz Gollob, Rune Holta, Greg Hancock etc any harm. They can keep a good level of race sharpness competing in Leagues who embrace rather than fight againt the SGP.

Quite true, I now very very rarely watch any of the televised league matches, modern day Elite League Speedway is in general a borefest, either on TV or live at the track. Like you I eagerly look forward to the GPs and am very rarely disappointed, the racing is usually first class. My enjoyment of the GPs is despite the fact that I have no particular affilliation with any rider or team. The truth is the GP appeals to the wider sporting audience where league racing only appeals to the remaining few die hards (luddites) like Trees, vainly trying to cling on to past glories unable to see beyond the end of their noses

Was JD still racing when the eastern bloc was opened up to westerners, seem to remember Hans Nielsen being one of the first when he signed for Motor Lublin. Remember JD racing in the Bundesliga though

Wonder if he will give his thoughts on his exclusion in the 1977 Inter Continental Final when the sixteen riders, all the officials and the 37,000 crowd all knew Ivan Mauger caused his own fall, not JD, everyone in the stadium except the referee. It cost JD a place at Gotheburg and ironically Mauger who shoul not have even qualified went on to become World Champion